Hardness tester



Dec. 15, 1953 D. c. GOLDBERG ET AL, 2,662,397

HARDNESS TESTER Filed Aug. 3, 1951 2 Shets-Sheet .l

IN VENTOR DAWD C. GOLDBERG RQBERT E. SCHAFER BY W ATTORNEY 1953 D. c. GOLDBERG ET AL 2 9 HARDNESS TESTER Filed Aug. 3, 1951 2 sneets-sneet 2 INVENTOR DAVID -C. GOLDBERG ROBERT E. SCHAFER ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 15, 1953 David C. Goldberg and Robert E. Schafer, Lancaster, Pa., assignors to Hamilton Watch Company, Lancaster, Pa.

' Application August 3, 1951, Serial No. 240,114

- 4 Claims.

This invention relates to an apparatus for nondestructively hardness testing of minute instrument and timepiece parts,

The object of the present invention is to provide a hardness tester for small parts, using the parts themselves as the indentor, on a precalibrated end quenched cylindrical metallic bar.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hardness tester in which the hardness will be directly read from a calibrated scale and will not require conversion tables.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for testing the hardness of small parts using an end quenched cylindrical metallic bar, the hardness of which may be definitely controlled between desired limits to provide an enlargement of the critical hardness condition.

At the present time it is extremely diilicult to carry out a test of the hardness of minute instrument and timepiece parts, such as balance wheel pivots and the like, and all the practiced methods are destructive of the part being tested. The part must be metallurgically mounted and polished and micro-hardness tested by thepenetration of a diamond point. This depth of penetration must be measured and such reading must be converted by a conversion table. This method is time consuming and in the case of very small parts very unclependable, The present invention seeks to overcome these difiiculties by providing a, cylinder, the hardness of which is graduated from one end to the other end, by regulating the angle of contact and the weight bearing on the contact point, the part to be tested is dragged along the surface of the cylinder and the point at which it fails to penetrate the surface is clearly seen through a microscope and a direct reading is made on an accompanying scale.

The invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus.

Figure 2 is a similar view with the microscope removed so that the contact of the piece to he tested with the cylinder can be clearly seen,

Figure 3 is a detail View showing the cylinder: mounting.

Referring particularly to the drawing, a base 5 supports a standard 6 in which is journalled gear l adapted to be turned by a hand crank 53,

Connected to the gear and movable by it is a rack 9 which is held in contact with the gear by rollers id journ. led in the cross bar ll of the frame i and bearing upon the back of the rack 9.

The forward end of the rack is formed with a 2 tongue 12 fitting into a yoke I 3 on the bar It. A pivot pin [5 passing through the yoke l3 and the tongue l2 permits the bar It to be swung upward on the pivot l 5 to a position at right angles to the rack 9. The middle surface of the bar H5 is formed with scale markings l3 and supports a Weight ll.

The forward end of the bar is enlarged to form an eye I8 in which is pivotally mounted a chuck 59 for carrying the pivot to be tested. Secured to the outer edge of the eye is a semiannular scale 2| having an arcuate slot 22 and scale markings 23. A set screw 24 passing through the arcuate slot and into the chuck I 9 permits the chuck and its carried pivot pin to be set at various angles to the bar l4.

A boxlike housing 25 is carried on the base 5 and partially houses a cylinder 26 of the end quenched test bar type having a hardness range from a Rockwell C66 to Rockwell C40. The degree of hardness of the cylinder may be, of course, varied, depending on the type of instrument which is desired to be tested. It will thus be seen that a very efficient test could be run in which the hardness of one end of the bar varied little from that of the other end to provide a long travel for the instrument to be tested and a very sharply defined critical area at which the hardness could be determined. This cylinder is supported at one end. by a center pin 2'! passing into a conical de pression 23 in the end of the cylinder. The other end of the cylinder is formed with three equally angular spaced holes 29 into which pins 3! carried by disc 39 fit. The disc 30 is keyed to a shaft 5 32 mounted at one end of the box 25 and rotates with the shaft under the action of the thumb wheel 33. The disc 30 with the pins 38 is also movable longitudinal oi the shaft against the action of the spring 34 to permit the removal of the cylinder 26. A ratchet wheel 35 and a dog 35 controls the turning of the cylinder 25 by the thumb wheel 33.

Formed in the base 5 is a track 39 having an integrally formed central rack 453. Moving longitudinally of the track is a carriage 4! supporting a standard 42, which in turn supports a microscope 43. Movement of the carriage id is con trolled by a hand Wheel M operating a pinion (not shown) which engages the rack iii. A pointer s5 carried on the carriage 49 is synchronized with the microscope t2 and indicates a reading on the scale 25 corresponding to that point on the cylinder which is being observed by the microscope. In use the bar i i is swung up on he pivot l5, the bar and the rack resting on the standard Si and a pivot pin 20 fitted to the chuck it. The b 1' H3 is then swung down until the pivot 26 is in contact with the cylinder 26 and the Weight ll adjusted manually on the bar [4 in ac cordance with the scale It. The pivot pin is then moved longitudinally of the cylinder 26 by turning the hand crank 8 and the point at which the pivot pin scratches the hard surface of the cylinder E5 is noted by the Scale 38 and a hardness reading is accordingly taken. Should reading be desired on a different pivot pin, the cylinder is rotated one notch by the thumb wheel 33 and the procedure repeated. In this. manner a great many readings may be taken on asingle cylinder. and when the cylinder has made a complete rotation, its surface may be honed and reused.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for testing the hardness of minute instrument andv timepiece parts, comprising an end quenched cylinder having a surface. of graduated hardness, a chuckfor holding the part to be tested, meansfOrsuppQrting the chuck held part above and'in contact with the cylinder, means connected to said chuck for varying the angle of contact between the part to be tested and the axis of the cylinder, means for moving said part longitudinally of the cylinder and in contact with the surface thereof, and-optical means adjustable longitudinally with regard to said cylinder for observing the point at which the part scratches the surface of the cylinder.

2. An apparatus for testing the hardness of minute instrument and timepiece parts, comprising a base, an end quenched cylinder having a surface of graduated hardness mounted for controlled rotation on said base, ascalemounted on said base adjacent said cylinder. and indicating the varying surface hardness ofsaidcylinder, a chuck carried above said cylinder, means for moving said chuck longitudinally of. said cylinder, said chuck supportinga part to betestedand holding said part. in. contact with the surface of said cylinder, meansconnectedtosaidchuck for varying the angle of contact of said partwiththe surfaceof said cylinder, meansforvarying the force with which said part contacts said. cylindrical surface, a microscope securedto said-base for longitudinal movement parallelto said cylinder'for observing the exact point-at which the part scratches the cylindrical surface, and a pointer coupled to said microscopeto indicate; a hardness reading on said scale.

3. An apparatus for: testing, the hardness. of minute instrument and timepiece parts, comprising a base, an endquenched cylinder mounted for controlled rotation on said-base, said cylinder having a graduated hardened surface, a scale mounted on said base adjacent said cylinder and indicating the graduated surface hardness, a chuck, an arm pivotally supporting said chuck above said cylinder, a rack connected to said arm, a pinion geared to said rack, mean for positioning said chuck supporting the partto be tested atlany'desired angular'contact relation with said cylinder, a hand crank for turning said pinion and moving said rack and said chuck held part longitudinally of and in contact with said cylindrlcal' surface, and optical means mounted on saidba's'e-for longitudinal movement relative to saidcylinder for. observing the point at which said p'art scratches said cylindrical surface duringits longitudinal travel.

4; An apparatus for testing the hardness of minute instrument and timepiece parts, comprising a base, a box framework supported on said base, anend quenched cylinder having a surface of graduated hardness removably mounted for controlled rotation within said framework, a scalecarried by said framework and indicating the'hardness of said graduated surface, a chuck adapted to support the part to be tested above and in contact-With the surface of said cylinder, means for adjusting said chuck to vary the angle of contact of said part with said cylinder, means for imposing a load on said chuck to vary the pressure between said part and said cylindrical surface, means for moving said chuck held part longitudinally of and in contact with said cylindrical surface, means mounted on said base for longitudinal movement relative to said cylinder for observing the exact point at which said part scratches said cylindrical surface, a pointer connected to and coinciding with said observing meansfor. indicating on said scale the degree of hardness of said surface at said scratch point, and means for rotating said cylinder to present afresh. surface directly below said chuck.

DAVID C. GOLDBERG. ROBERT SCHAFER.

References Cited in the file of'this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,182,235 Polushkin Dec. 5, 1939 2,279,264 Hoffman Apr. 7, 1942 2,335,235 Clifton Nov. 30, 1943 OTHER, REFERENCES Article entitled Recent Scratch Hardness Methods by S. R. Williams, in Instruments, vol. 10, September1937, pp. 237-2'38. 

